Pusher device

ABSTRACT

The specification discloses a pusher device for use with the conveyor chain of a car washing installation, or the like, in which the pusher device includes a bracket adapted for manual engagement with and disengagement from the chain and having support rollers rolling on the vehicle wheel support surface and pusher rollers rollingly engageable with a wheel of a vehicle passing through the installation.

United States Patet 91 Hansen 1 May 8, 1973 [54] PUSHER DEVICE [75]Inventor: Niels S. Hansen, Fort Wayne, Ind.

[73] Assignee: Foundation and Bridge Corp., Fort Wayne, Ind.

221 Filed: June 3, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 149,463

[52] US. Cl. .104/172 B, 198/171 [51] Int. Cl ..B65g 19/00 [58] Field ofSearch ..104/172 B; 198/171 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS3,408,951 Heinicke ..lO4/l 72 B Enning ..l04/l72 B Smith ..104/l72 BPrimary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-George F. AbrahamAttorneyJeffers and Rickert [57] ABSTRACT The specification discloses apusher device for use with the conveyor chain of a car washinginstallation, or the like, in which the pusher device includes a bracketadapted for manual engagement with and disengagement from the chain andhaving support rollers rolling on the vehicle wheel support surface andpusher rollers rollingly engageable with a wheel of a vehicle passingthrough the installation.

1 Claim, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMY' 3'131 .637

SHEET 1 OF 3 \NVENTOR Nx ELS S. HANSEN korneys PATENTEDW 3.731.637

sum 3 OF 3 \NvENToQ NIELS S. HANSEN b Jeflers Rnckert A-fiorneys PUSHERDEVICE The present invention relates to a pusher device, especially foruse in a car washing installation or the like for pushing vehiclesthrough the installation.

Car washing installations usually comprise guide means for guiding avehicle along a predetermined path through the installation in theadvancing direction while a pusher arrangement is provided for engagingat least one wheel of the vehicle to push it through the installation. 4

Such pusher devices are generally in the form of an instrumentality toengage a vehicle wheel, usually near the bottom thereof, and connectedto a flexible drive element, such as a chain, which runs in an endlesspath with one reach extending through the installation adjacent one sideof the vehicle so that the pushing instrumentality is engageable with avehicle wheel.

The present invention is particularly concerned with an improved pusherdevice for use with a conveyor chain employed in a car washinginstallation, or the like, of the nature referred to.

A particular object of the present invention is the provision of apusher device of an improved construction which has long life andoperates efficiently.

Another object is the provision ofa pusher device for pushing vehiclesthrough a car wash, or the like, which is readily engageable with ordetachable from the conveyor chain so as to be readily adjustable alongthe length of the conveyor chain.

Still another object is the provision of a pusher device which can beplaced on or removed from the conveyor chain while the chain is inmotion thereby limiting lost time for changing the position of thepusher device on the chain or for repair or adjustment of the pusherdevice.

Another object is the provision of a pusher device of the naturereferred to which is extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a pusherdevice of the nature referred to which is usable, not only with newinstallations, but with existing installations, as well.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome more apparent upon reference to the following detailedspecification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a portion of aninstallation in which a pusher device according to the present inventionis incorporated;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the roller end of the pushingdevice;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view indicated by line lIIlII on FIG. 1'.

FIG. 4 is a view partly in section showing more in detail the mountingof the rollers on the shaft of the pushing device;

FIG. 5 is a view like FIG. I but showing the pusher device on theopposite side of the chain; and

FIG. 6 is a view showing the pusher device of FIG. 5 in perspective.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

The pusher device of the present invention comprises a bar or arm partadapted for extending longitudinally a substantial distance along theside of a conveyor chain between the chain and the wheel of the vehiclewhich is adjacent to the chain. Near the leading end, the arm has, onone side, a bracket having a downwardly depending leg so the arm can beconnected with and removed from the chain from above in a simple manner.

Extending laterally from the arm, and preferably near the leading end,is a shaft, and mounted on the shaft in spaced relation are two largerrollers which roll on the surface on which the wheel rests, whilebetween the larger rollers are smaller rollers which rollingly engagethe periphery of the vehicle wheel.

The bracket is preferably welded to the arm and the shaft is also weldedto the arm and the rollers are retained on the shaft by a detachableretaining means, such as a screw, cutter pin or like means so that thepusher device is extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture and tomaintain and can readily be adjusted along the conveyor chain to anydesired position,

and can quickly be removed and replaced with another should it benecessary to replace any of the rollers thereon or if a pusher deviceshould become defective for any other reason.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:

Referring to the drawings somewhat more in detail, FIG. 1 is afragmentary perspective view showing a portion of an installationthrough which a vehicle is to be advanced. The installation might, forexample, be a car washing installation.

The installation of FIG. 1 comprises a support surface 10 on which wheel12 of the vehicle being advanced through the installation rests.Adjacent wheel 12 is one reach 14 of a conveyor chain which runs in ahorizontal plane with the reach adjacent wheel 12 moving in thedirection indicated by arrow 16. The chain is made up of links 18 whichopen laterally to receive sprocket teeth and intervening links 20 whichmay be open in the vertical direction. The links are pivotallyinterconnected at the ends in a conventional manner.

The chain may be supported and guided in any conventional manner and isexposed on the side facing wheel 12. The chain may be on either theinside or the outside of wheel 12, depending on the manner in which theinstallation is constructed. The pusher device according to the presentinvention is generally indicated at 22 in FIG. 1 and will be seen tocomprise an elongated arm 24 extending along the chain on the wheel sidethereof and at the leading end having a bracket 26 secured thereto thatengages over at least one side of a link 20.

' Extending laterally from the leading end of bar portion 24 across thesurface 10 on which wheel 12 rests is a shaft having mounted thereonnear the ends a pair of end rollers 28 that rest on surface 10 andtherebetwecn rollers 30 which rollingly engage the periphery of wheel12. Rollers 28 may be, as shown, larger than rollers 30 but all of therollers could be of the same size.

As will be seen in FIGS. 2 to 4, the bracket 26 may comprise an L-shapedmember having a shorter leg fixed to the upper edge of bar 24 as bywelding 32 and having a dependent leg adapted to engage over the top ofa link 20, or over one side rail of the link 20 if the link is formedwith parallel side rails.

It will be appreciated that the bracket 26 rather loosely engages thechain so that the trailing end of bar 24 can slide on surface andthereby support the bar 24 substantial horizontal. Bar 24 extendslongitudinally of the chain a substantial distance, for example, adistance of about two links or more thereof and is thus capable oftransmitting loads imposed thereon by wheel 12 to the side of the chain.

As has been mentioned, the chain is usually supported against lateralmovement away from wheel 12 so that the elongated bar 24 forms anefficient way of supporting the pushing loads imposed on the pusherdevice and holding shaft 38 perpendicular to the chain.

In the region of bracket 26, the arm 24 has a hole 34 formed thereinwhich is counterbored as at 36 to receive support shaft 38 which isfixedly secured to bar 24 by welding 40.

The aforementioned rollers 28 and all may be formed of rubber-likematerial or other castable material, or merely the rollers 30 may beformed of rubber-like material or other castable material, and eachthereof is preferably provided with an internal busing 42 rotatablysupporting the respective roller on shaft 38.

The assembled rollers are replaceably retained on shaft 28 by aretaining washer 44 which is held against the end of the shaft by aretaining screw 46 threaded into the end of the shaft or by means of acotter pin or other locking devices. A washer 48 on the shaft at the armend thereof may be provided to prevent the adjacent roller 28 fromrubbing against the side of arm 24.

Further washers, as shown at 31, can be placed between end rollers 28and the rollers 30 adjacent thereto to eliminate wear.

As will be seen in FIG. 3, rollers 28 are disposed laterally outside thelimits of wheel 12 so that they rollingly engage only the wheelsupporting surface 10, whereas the smaller rollers 30 are disposedwithin the range of the wheel and at least'some thereof rollingly engageonly the periphery of the wheel.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are views similar to FIGS. 1 and 2 but show that thechain, indicated at 50, can be disposed inside wheel 12 with the pusherdevice mounted on the chain so as to extend outwardly therefrom. In theinstallation according to FIG. 1, the chain loop would lay outside thevehicle, whereas in the arrangement of FIG. 5, the chain loop would lieinside the vehicle so that the pusher device would not interfere withthe movement of the chain around the sprockets and idlers which itengages.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, the bracket part 52 of the pusher device is themirrorimage of the corresponding part in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the shaft androllers generally indicated at 54 are mounted on the bracket in the samemanner directly opposite the downward opening pocket portion whichengages over one side of a link of the chain.

The arrangement of FIGS. 5 and 6 operates in exactly the same manner asthe previously described modification, except that the pusher device isinverted.

The arrangement provided by the present invention is relativelyinexpensive and. is easily fabricated and can be mounted on and removedfrom the conveyor chain during continued movement of the chain.

Thus, the pusher devices, whether supported inside or outside the wheel,can be adjusted to desired positions along the chain to accommodate fordifferent vehicle sizes and different operating conditions, and each canreadily be removed from the chain and replaced by another in case itbecomes necessary to recondition a pusher device for any reason, such asdeterioration of the rollers or the like.

Modifications may be made within the purview of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A pusher device, especially for pushing a wheeled vehicle through acar wash or the like having an endless conveyor chain made up ofpivotally interconnected links with at least some of the links of saidchain open in the vertical direction and have spaced side members andrunning in a horizontal plane and adjacent a surface on which a vehiclewheel adjacent the chain rests, said device comprising, an arm adaptedto be disposed on one side of the chain, said arm extendinglongitudinally of the chain a distance greater than the length of a linkor the chain, an L-shaped bracket connected to the leading end of saidarm forming a downwardly opening U-shaped pocket, said bracket adaptedto engage over the top of a link of the chain so that said pusher devicecan be placed on and removed from the chain during continued movementthereof, a shaft fixed to said arm adjacent said bracket and extendinghorizontally therefrom above the surface, first roller means on saidshaft rollingly engaging the surface and outside the lateral range ofthe vehicle wheel, and second roller means on the shaft adapted torollingly engage the periphery of the vehicle wheel and spaced from thesurface whereby said first roller means roll on the surface and saidsecond roller means are adapted to roll on the vehicle wheel.

1. A pusher device, especially for pushing a wheeled vehicle through acar wash or the like having an endless conveyor chain made up ofpivotally interconnected links with at least some of the links of saidchain open in the vertical direction and have spaced side members andrunning in a horizontal plane and adjacent a surface on which a vehiclewheel adjacent the chain rests, said device comprising, an arm adaptedto be disposed on one side of the chain, said arm extendinglongitudinally of the chain a distance greater than the length of a linkor the chain, an L-shaped bracket connected to the leading end of saidarm forming a downwardly opening U-shaped pocket, said bracket adaptedto engage over the top of a link of the chain so that said pusher devicecan be placed on and removed from the chain during continued movementthereof, a shaft fixed to said arm adjacent said bracket and extendinghorizontally therefrom above the surface, first roller means on saidshaft rollingly engaging the surface and outside the lateral range ofthe vehicle wheel, and second roller means on the shaft adapted torollingly engage the periphery of the vehicle wheel and spaced from thesurface whereby said first roller means roll on the surface and saidsecond roller means are adapted to roll on the vehicle wheel.